Lucha Memes announced a 04/05 empty arena show for Coliseo Coacalco, which will be streamed live by +LuchaTV. This is the show they were always planning on running this day. It seems like the same card without the Tijuana wrestlers, just pivoting it to be a fundraiser for the wrestlers. They have posted receipts of people donating on social media and there’s info to donate on the bottom of the poster.
I don’t think the Lucha Memes show is actually going to happen. MexaWrestling similarly announced a 04/04 empty arena show to be streamed by +LuchaTV. It was then canceled after Arena San Juan was threatened with fines if they allowed the show to take place. Lucha libre shows are currently prohibited in Mexico State and it stands to reason that the local government will lean on Justiciero and his Coliseo Coacalco arena not to run either. Conditions also may change quickly; at least three different promotions were planning on running similar empty arena shows in the Chicago arena only for those plans to be scuttled by tighter bans. I hope it does not get as serious in Mexico but it’s possible and more likely each day that goes by.
(There’s not an original thought going on here with those shows. It’s just promoters copying what they see people trying to do in the US, with how it’s working or even if it’s worked at all – plus stubbornness of wanting to keep their schedule despite what is going in the rest of the world.)
Chicago’s AAW fundraiser efforts haven’t met the halfway mark yet, and that’s a crowd that’s used to paying and donating through the internet. Memes is probably looking for a lot less and may have already gotten it via celebrity donations, but I’m sure they haven’t gotten much from a outside of Mexico account because they haven’t provided a method for that; the rest of the world has Paypal and other methods as a standard, and Memes is not meeting that standard. All the money is going straight to the promotion, who I trust will be distributing it to the luchadors. There’s no way to send the money directly to the luchadors – there are few luchadors with t-shirt stores or even Venmo donation links like can be found easily in the rest of the world. This is as big a problem with big promotions like AAA & CMLL as smaller ones – they’re drastically behind on making money off wrestling outside of face to face transactions and those face to face transactions aren’t going to be happening for a while. Memes and other have been urged to improve this for years, have ignored or made little effort to improve, and now it’s going to cost them that those options aren’t there. Building the infrastructure to allow people to support these promotions outside of buying a ticket or a shirt in person is going to do a lot more to benefit the luchadors long term than one show for +LuchaTV. I’d wish Memes, MexaWrestling and everyone else would spend this time on those things than a show that’ll come and go.
MexaWrestling says they want to still run three matches in a small place. I hope everyone ends up fine.
AEW announced Kenny Omega will defend the AAA Mega Championship against Sammy Guevera on Wednesday, assuming the show goes on as planned. AEW seems to be at a point where they’re just looking for things to fill up TV time rather than move stories on, and there’s nothing that can fill up TV time like an Omega title defense. Omega previously defended the title against Jack Evans in AAA; they’re at least trying to keep it to people with some past connection to AAA but without burning off a big match for AAA.
El Fantasma says wrestling in Mexico City is suspended for an indefinite period.
Miguel Reducindo writes about the lucha libre shut-down and notes that Arena Mexico was the first thing back after the H1N1 shut-down. Not that being first really meant a lot: the media credited a concert on the following day as the real first event back and the Arena Mexico return show was among the lowest attended shows Reducindo had seen.
Arena Aficion is closed indefinitely.
Mr. Iguana talks about his other job – a producer for a religious radio station in Culican. He feels this job is more important at the moment because a lot of older people listen to it, and they’re giving out COVID-19 information. Iguana is planning to relocate to Mexico City in a few months.
Parka Negra’s other jobs include a breakfast room and a clothing shop in Ecatepec, both who’ve been closed because they’re too close to the Metro and too many people gather there.
Saturday was the five year anniversary of Hijo del Perro Aguayo’s death. The Gladiatores’ Dr. Landru, who was the press department for Los Perros del Mal and close to him, writes about his memories of Aguayo’s last few days. Aguayo’s death came in what was one of the most difficult weeks in the history of AAA. Rey de Reyes was scheduled to take place on Sunday March 15th, but it was raining too heavily in an outdoor show. AAA tried to move instead on Monday March 16th, but were unable to get permits in time. AAA planned to run again on Wednesday and offered to send everyone home to Mexico City and bring them back on Wednesday. Landru was going to get on the staff bus, but Aguayo sent word that the luchador bus would be getting back faster and told Landru to come on that one. Landru switched buses. He was aboard the luchador bus when they found out the staff bus had gotten into a bad accident, costing one person their life and injuring others; Perro getting him onto the other bus may have saved Landru’s life. Landru mentions Aguayo was very excited for the possibilities of himself and Rey Mysterio in AAA together, even throwing out the idea of Mysterio eventually joining the Perros del Mal.
+Lucha posted a career retrospective, photos, and a marathon of old Perros del Mal TV shows. AAA posted Aguayo’s Rey de Reyes win, his hair match with Cibernetico, and a singles match with Myzteziz. Box Y Lucha 3428 remembers Aguayo (and Anibal). Dr. Morales shares his memories in his weekly column.
Sunday was the 11 year anniversary of Abismo Negro’s death. His hometown paper has a story around the idea that Abismo Negro Jr. is Eterno and not someone related to him.
DoradaFan made it back home and posted highlights of the Generacion XXI 03/13 show in Queretaro and of the 03/08 Lucha Memes show.
KeMonito posted a video asking people to stop buying pirated KeMonito merchandise. Official merchandise can only be bought through CMLL and his Facebook page.
CMLL posted their Facebook Live interview with Estrellita & Mystique on YouTube, as well as having Mystique answering 100 questions in 9 minutes (a common vlog bit). There’s also a sitdown interview with Euforia, Felino, Dalys, Caristico, and Sangre Chicana, which appears to just be an extended CMLL Informa bit in a different setting.
WrestleRex has put up their Audaz vs Templario match from the 02/27 show. It’s a good watch.
DTU announced Sabu & the Super Genie for their 04/25 show in Arena Lopez Mateos.
+LuchaTV has a Q&A with Bandido.
El Siglo de Torreon has an interview with preliminary luchador Rey Herrero.
A profile of San Luis Potosi’s Latin Queen, who hopes to make it to CMLL.
Grafico has an interview with La Heroina, which was probably intended to build up a show.
I eagerly await images from Mr Iguana of him running the board in full gear while Yezzika is wearing headphones and about to talk into the mic
I demand to know who these celebrity donors are!